And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Date: Mon, 08 Mar 1999 10:12:39 -0500 From: LISN <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Organization: League of Indigenous Sovereign Nations of the Western Hemisphere Article From: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Menominee Leader Blames U.S. for Deaths Chairman says Colombian killings were result of U.S. funding of war on rebels By Ann Schottman Knol Special to the Journal Sentinel March 07, 1999 Keshena -- The Menominee tribal chairman charged Saturday that the U.S. State Department "exploited" the kidnappings of three American activists, including a member of the Menominee nation, and caused the deaths of the three in an effort to get further public support for the war against Colombian rebels. But a State Department spokesman called the charges leveled by Menominee Tribal Chairman Apesanahkwat "preposterous". Their comments came less than two days after the body of Ingrid Washinawatok, 41 -- a Menominee tribal member who lived in Brooklyn, N.Y. -- and those of Los Angeles environmentalist Terence Freitas and Lahe'ena'e Gay of Hawaii were found Thursday night on the Venezuelan side of the Arauca River, which separates Venezuela and Colombia. All were shot with 9mm weapons. Their bodies were found a week after the three were kidnapped. The three had been working for a week with the U'wa tribe of Colombia, whose culture they were trying to preserve. Colombian and U.S. officials said Saturday that Marxist guerrillas murdered the three on the direct orders from a senior commander of the insurgents. Officials blamed the murders on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which often kidnaps foreigners to raise funds but seldom executes its captives. The insurgents customarily deny actions they are not responsible for but have not yet commented on the murders. In statements he made at a news conference in Keshena Saturday morning and in a later interview, Apesanahkwat agreed that members of FARC likely had killed the three. But he charged that the U.S. government bore some responsibility for the killings. The U.S. government, he said, sent money for arms to the Colombian government four or five days after the kidnappings, knowing that those arms would be used against the rebels who held the kidnap victims and that the kidnap victims might well be executed in retaliation. Seventy rebels were killed in a government-led attack just before the kidnap victims were executed, he said. U.S. monetary support for escalation of the Colombian government's war against the rebels was "orchestrated" after the kidnappings, in order to result in the deaths of the kidnapping victims and to move the American and Colombian people toward greater support of government efforts to quash the rebels, Apesanahkwat charged after the news conference. "This was horrible," he said. The State Department "hoped to engender outrage to continue their work down there," he said. State Department spokesman Lee McClenny reacted angrily to Apesanahkwat's allegation. "Any suggestion that the U.S. government aided or abetted or encouraged the kidnappings or the murders is preposterous," McClenny said. McClenny also said the U.S. has not provided counter-insurgency funds to Colombia for many years. It does provide counter-narcotic training and assistance, which is carefully monitored so that it is not used for counter-insurgency purposes, he said. The Menominee tribe is demanding a congressional committee inquiry into State Department actions in Colombia, according to a release from the tribe. Apesanahkwat said he was active in attempting to negotiate the release of the hostages as soon as he heard of the capture. "I sent a direct communique to the leadership of FARC two days after she was captured." The FARC leadership had sent a response by e-mail the morning of the hostages' death, Apesanahkwat said. "They sent greetings to us as a relative indigenous group, and said they were optimistic about seeking her release," he said. He said he and family and tribal members were stunned to learn of the deaths after optimistic messages from FARC and other sources. John Fauber of the Journal Sentinel staff and the Washington Post contributed to this report. Copyright 1999, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. ----------------------------------------------------------------- *League of Indigenous Sovereign Nations of the Western Hemisphere* To receive organizational information, announcements and news: Please send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] LISN Web Site | http://www.lisn.net --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
